Apparatus for the manufacture of paper spoons, &amp;c.



G. J. BOHLMAN.

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER SPOONS, &c.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 13, l9l5.

Patented May 2, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET I give/7202";

G. J. BOHLMAN.

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER SPOONS, 1810.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 13, 19l5.

Patented May 2, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 plan view of the and rigid particularly at the GEORGE J. BOHLMAN, OF MEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER SPOONS, 8w.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE J. BOHLMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Medford, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Apparatusfor the Manufacture of Paper Spoons and other Articles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a method of producing a spoon such as forms the subjectmatter of my application for Letters Patent No. 8,105, filed February 13, 1915, and to an improved machine adapted for the carrying out of such method to produce the spoons automatically and rapidly.

The object of the invention is to produce a spoon for sampling or like purposes, of paper stock, that will be relatively strong shank or handle portion thereof and where it joins the bowl, without requiring any separate reinforcing element, or an excess thickness of V the paper stock itself.

According to my improved method the spoons are produced rapidly and automatically, by softening and heating the paper which may be drawn in an endless web from a roll, cutting and forming the same, as by the use of cooperating dies, and then permitting the formed spoons to cool and set; and an organized machine is here shown for carrying out said method.

Referring to the drawings Figure 1, shows in side elevation with parts broken away in section, of a machineembodying this invention. Fig. 2, is a plan view of the concave or female die employed in the production of the spoon. Fig. 3; is.a perspective view showing the cooperating male die. Fig. 4, is a detail section on line 44 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5, is a similar detail section on line 55 of Fig. 3. Fig. 6, is a bottom spoon. Fig. 7, is a top plan View of the spoon, and, Fig. 8, is an edge View of the spoon.

The "spoon which is produced by the method and machine here shown, which is primarily though not exclusively designed for sampling or like purposes, is formed of paper or like sheet pulp stock with a bowl l and a shank or handle 2, extending there-- from. j The point of weakness in such a spoon is usually in the shank-portion of the handle and also at the point wherethe handle joins the bowl. To strengthen the spoon at these points the shank-portion of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1916.

Application filed February 13, 1915. Serial N 0. 8,103.

handle is of a bowed form, concave from the back as seen at 3, and this formation is continued as lateral flanges which extend forwardly a substantial distance along the sides of the base of the bowl as indicated at 4; z. 6., these lateral flanges extend as reversed curves from the concave of the bowl Well along the back portion of the bowl. Thus at the point where the handle joins the bowl of the spoon indicated approximately at 5, instead of a flat section with a tendency to easy bending and distortion, the spoon presents a section with well defined lateral flanges at its sides constituting ribs or struts that make the handle much stifl'er and more serviceable. For producing a spoon of this form from aper stock I provide a matrix or female die 6, in a die block 7, there being 'a presser foot or plate 8 positioned over this block and die to permit the paper to be moved thereunder. For cooperation with matrix 6, I provide a male die 9, carried by and projecting from a head 10, the mounting of which will be presently further described. This die is of a substantially convex cross-section where it forms the bowl of the spoon as indicated at 11 while the portion that forms the shank or handle of the spoon is substantially concave asseen at 12. that the projecting prongs 13 of this concave formation extend along some little distance, overlapping the central convexity .which forms the bowl of the spoon.

A machinesuitable for the production of the present spoon and for carrying out the present method is shown in Fig. 1, the lower matrix or die block 7, being mounted on a suitable base frame 14, and the die 9, being carried by a slide head 1&, uided in vertical slide-ways 16, of the rame-work and actuated by an eccentric 17 from a drivingshaft 18, suitably journaled in an upright extension of the frame-work. At one end of the machine a journal bearing 19 is provided for a roll R of paper or like pulp stock of suitable thickness. A presser-roll 20, is shown as swingingly mounted to con trol the delivery from this paper-roll. The web of paper P, as it is drawn from this roll, passes through a steam-box 21, having an inlet pipe connection 22 and a dischargepipe 23. This box is also shown as provided with a door 24, hinged at 25, at one side thereof, whereby access may be had to the box. The paper is shown as guided over rolls 26, adjacent the ends of this box, passing through slots in the box-end and sliding shutters 27, to keep the slot-openings through which the paper passes substantially closed. The box 21 is shown. as made quite long in the direction of the paper feed so that the paper may become saturated with moisture and thoroughly heated while passing therethrough at a relatively rapid rate.

For efl'ecting the automatic feed of the paper, feed-rolls 28 are proi'ided, one in advance of the die-mechanism to feed the paper thereto, and the other beyond the diemechanism to draw along the waste from which the spoons have been cut. These rolls are driven by suitable gearing 29 and pawl and ratchet mechanism 30 from a crankarm 31 connected with the shaft 18. The

two feed rolls are similar in formand simi- In operation the paper web is drawn from i the roll R, by the feed-rolls operated by the pawl and ratchet devices 30. It will be understood that this feeding movement is intermittent and that the connections are so arranged that the movable die 9, will descend while the web is at rest, to blank out a spoon. The paper in passing through the steam-chest 21, is thoroughly saturated with moisture and also heated by the steam so that it is very soft and pliable and capable of being readily formed to shape by the dies after being blanked out, to produce the described form of spoon. The die 9, in descending, first cuts or blanks out the stock to form the spoon from the web and then pressing this blanked out portion into the female die perfects the spoon shape. Thereupon. as the spoons are discharged from the chute 35, they are free to cool and set without danger of distortion and without requiring any further attention. Thus the spoons can be readily and cheaply produced.

Vhile I have herein referred to spoons as the article being produced, it will be understood that this reference is merely illus trative and intended to typify any like article having similar attributes and require ments. The present embodiment is therefore not to be considered as restrictive.

and'heating of the paper.

It is the intention in the present invention to confine the steam with which the paper is treated in a steam-chest, instead of merely delivering jets of steam across the path of paper, for when the steam is so confined, a thorough and uniform saturation and heating of the paper is insured. When the steam is not confined. but is merely delivered from a jet, it quickly disseminates and does not effect a sufficient and uniform saturation A considerable advantage also results from the moistening and heating of the paper prior to its engagement by the cutting dies, instead of being moistened and heated at the moment that the dies operate, as in the latter case, sufficient time does not elapse for the paper to become thoroughly and uniformly saturated and heated before being cut and shaped, ormolded.

I claim:

1. A machine of the character described, including a supporting structure, means for supporting a roll of paper in strip form, coacting die-members operable for cutting blanks from the strip of paper and molding said blanks into the desired form, co-acting feeding mechanisms arranged on opposite sides of the die-members, for feeding the strip of paper to the die-members, and drawing the waste material from between the die-members, a discharge trough arranged transverse to the path of the strip of paper, said discharge trough being adapted to receive the molded blanks, said blanks being removed from the die-members and conveyed to the discharge chute by the forward movement of the strip of paper, and means for intermittently actuating the feeding mechanisms.

2. A machine of the character described including a supporting structure, means for supporting a sheet of material, a steam chest through which the sheet of material passes, the end walls of the .chest having relatively narrow openings snugly receiving the sheetof material to prevent the escape of steam from the chest, coacting dies operable for cutting blanks from the material and shap-' ing said blanks into desired form subsequent 

